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Monday, September 29, 2014

A Family History

Today our Wisconsin rep Kathy shares the history of her family's journey to home education as well as a surprise connection to Charlotte Mason!

“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.”

Alex Haley

Kathy Alphs

Every homeschooling family has a story to tell of how it all began. For our family, our homeschool journey begins in the past. My maternal grandmother, Daisy had graduated from the sixth grade at the one room country school in her small rural town. Gram was not content to be known as a “sixth grade graduate.” She had higher aspirations. She had her eyes set on obtaining a high school diploma. In the mid 1900s if you were seeking higher education, there were two options: 1. Move to the nearest city which had a high school and board with relatives. 2. Study for four years and sit for the yearly high school examination. My grandmother chose the latter.

In the pursuit of this goal my great grandmother, Mary, decided to “home educate” my grandmother because in reality, it was the only option available. She acquired a copy of Charlotte Mason’s book Home Education and read through it voraciously. After finishing Home Education Grand Mary constructed a yearly lesson plan for my grandmother using the knowledge and insight obtained from Charlotte Mason alongside the Montgomery Ward and Sears catalogs from which she ordered. Gram’s days were structured with short lessons in the morning and outdoor time in the afternoon

Charlotte Mason

For four years, Grand Mary and Gram followed Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education of living books, narration, habit training, short lessons, handwriting, dictation, poetry, Shakespeare, Plutarch, grammar, foreign language, art, music appreciation, handicrafts, nature study, outdoor education, Bible, history, and geography. The day to sit for the yearly high school examination finally arrived. Gram walked into the classroom with a positive attitude, determined to do her best. After the day of testing was completed she returned to her rural community and its way of life. A month later, the examination results arrived in the mail. Gram had the highest overall score in the group, plus she passed the examination of the first attempt. As an adolescent, I remember Gram sharing this story to encourage me while I was going through a particularly difficult time. After her passing, while going through her belongings, the high school diploma was discovered. Time had discolored the once white stationary paper to a cream colored tint, but the black italic lettering remained unaltered. As the diploma was passed around, I was able to share her story with the family members who were present.

Through the teachings of Charlotte Mason, Gram developed an insatiable appetite for learning and discovering. Her “love of learning” enriched the lives of those within her sphere of influence. When I stop to think about this particular quote from Charlotte Mason, “The question is not—how much does the youth know when he has finished his education—but how much does he care? And about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? And, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?” I think back to this incredible, articulate woman and her passion for learning.

This is the first portion of how our family’s homeschooling journey begins in the past. Please allow me to share with you the second portion of our story. My paternal grandparents, Elliott and Lola, were descended from Brits who left England during the reign of King George III. They came to the colonies as masons and evolved into plantation owners, slave traders, and tradesmen who eventually migrated north.

While doing research on our family tree several years ago, I was able to trace our ancestors back to England. While going through the family tree, there was one name which stood out from all the others: Charlotte Mason. I had always felt a “connection” to the teachings of Charlotte Mason through my maternal grandmother, but here was the proof that I am actually related to her. My husband and daughter weren’t surprised when I gave them the news. They always had an “inkling” Charlotte was somewhere on my family tree.

Next time, I will be sharing with you my “light bulb” moment which led our family to pursuing a Charlotte Mason Education.